Crime costs Latam and Caribbean almost what region spends in education, IDB says

New York City, US Reuters Violence and crime absorb almost 3.5 per cent per cent of Latin America and the Caribbean’s (LAC) economic output, depleting funds that could be used in education and assisting the vulnerable, a report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) showed. Beyond the human toll, the cost of crime amounts to […]
The Long Read: How fake Ozempic batch numbers help criminal groups spread dangerous drugs

PATRICK WINGOVE, of Reuters, reports on the involvement of organised crime in the distribution of fake drugs…
Crime in Sweden: How youth homes nurtured killers, creating Europe’s gun crime capital

JOHAN AHLANDER, of Reuters, reports on the connections between rising gun violence in Sweden and the country’s network of youth homes…
Trump courts Black voters in Philadelphia, asks Christians to back him one last time

Philadelphia, US Reuters Donald Trump made two speeches on Saturday, urging Christian supporters to go to the polls for him one last time and courting Black voters in Philadelphia by promising to fix a city “ravaged by bloodshed” even as data shows a decline in violent crime. If elected in November, the Republican presidential candidate […]
Peace must be a priority, say Catholic leaders on anniversary of priests’ violent deaths in Mexico

Mexico City AP Two years have passed since a leader of one of Mexico’s organised crime gangs stormed into a Catholic church in the remote Tarahumara mountains and fatally shot two Jesuit priests. Among many faith leaders nationwide, the pain unleashed on 20th June, 2022 – when the Revs Javier Campos Morales, 79, and Joaquín […]
Religious groups think Trump’s actions immoral in hush money case, split on whether he broke the law

United States RNS A new survey finds that majorities of all major US religious groups believe actions by former President Donald Trump detailed in a recent hush money trial were immoral, but views are more split on whether he broke the law. It also remains unclear whether Trump’s new status as a convicted felon has […]
Lifestory: In ‘Cops, Criminals and Christ’ podcast, undercover cop-turned-pastor shares his story

FIONA ANDRÈ, of Religion News Service, reports that Dale Sutherland says his encounters with criminals, drug addicts and dealers helped him grow spiritually as much as his time serving parishioners did…
Soccer star’s murder highlights South Africa’s crime problem as election nears

Johannesburg, South Africa Reuters In the South African township where Luke Fleurs grew up, some friends joined gangs before they reached high school age, but Fleurs found another path: he was so brilliant at soccer that he rose to be a professional player at South Africa’s top club. Fleurs’ success story ended abruptly last month […]
“Big Brother”: Reboot of Buenos Aires facial recognition plan fuels privacy fears

DAVID FELIBA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports that NGOs fear a controversial facial recognition system – dubbed Buenos Aires’ Big Brother – could be revived, threatening rights…
Essay: Mexico’s slow slide towards vigilante violence

In an article first published on The Conversation, AMELENDU MISRA sounds a warning about the prevalence of mob justice in today’s Mexico…